SEATTLE – The National Transportation Safety Board says two people aboard a small plane died when it crashed in northern Washington state and sparked a wildfire that chased hundreds of people from their homes.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said investigators went to the accident site Friday.
The crash Thursday ignited a blaze charring remote, dry land near Oroville, a small town close to the Canadian border. Washington state officials have asked for help from the state National Guard, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency planned to send funding.
Officials say more than 400 people have been evacuated, and 660 homes are threatened as winds have picked up.
The 4.7-square-mile fire also posed a risk to roads, bridges, power and gas lines, and several private businesses in a state struggling with drought.
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